by Francesca Gray

Cool white icebergs with depths of turquoise floated all around us as we made our way through the icy waters aboard the MV Ptarmigan. The five of us hugged our jackets in closer to keep out the cold wind. We had come to Anchorage, Alaska to pay homage to my father, who had just passed away. What we found was a place full of adventure and magical snow-capped mountains, far as the eye could see.

by Michael Henderson

Basking in the hot sun, drifting in and out of dreamy snoozes while relaxing on the white sand beach, cooling in the Pacific waters as the kids build their fairytale sandcastle—this is the antithesis of the daily grind. This is Huntington Beach, California, also known as Surf City U.S.A., where the warm sun arrives as early as April and hangs around well into October.

by Susann Dobson

She won’t hurt you... she’s just very friendly, especially with children.

by Paula Griswold

The British Rail Museum (BRM) in York, England, sits behind the York Railway and Bus Station, just outside the medieval city walls. The wealth of its exhibits is staggering. Over 100 locomotives, including a 15 by 93 foot long Chinese locomotive and the bright blue Mallard (the world’s fastest steam engine, clocked at 126 mph!), are parked inside the Great Hall.

by Bonnie Caton

Pink cherry blossom petals coat the surface of the Potomac and flower beds thick with tulips brighten the corners of the city. It’s springtime in Washington, D.C., and even if you never left the underground metro system, you’d know it. The trains that are usually filled with adults in business suits and military uniforms begin to burst with families and school groups, here to drink in the history of our nation.